Mages, ten-man raiding, and other things that are awesome.

I know I’m pretty behind the times here, but today I finished up School of Hard Knocks to complete Millya’s meta achievement, What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been. I could have done it last year but I was feeling belligerent then, and so instead I pouted about the way the achievements had been designed.

Don’t get me wrong – I still think School of Hard Knocks would be much better off if it were like what Rades proposed. If you want to make people do PvP content, keep it group and team friendly! I tell you, the AB I was in when I got that portion of the achievement was just stupid. I’ve never seen an entire team huddled around one flag like that. I rarely say anything beyond calling incs in BG chat and even I had to ask, “What are you all doing at LM?” It’s not even as if the Horde was “trading” the flag back and forth, they were delighting in murdering people over and over again. It’s frustrating to feel like you aren’t actually helping the team by being there. I was able to actually play in WSG instead of hindering my team, and we nearly won the EoTS too! AV turned out to be a tower-trading zergfest, but at the end of the day I’m okay with that. I’m done, and my orphan and I won’t trouble the BGs any further. I do feel bad for people who regularly like to PvP, though, and are going to find it well-nigh impossible to get anything done over the next week.

That said, I want to extend a big cosmic appreciative “thank you” to Cynwise of Cynwise’s Battlefield Manual. For two years now, Cyn has been such a positive force – encouraging people to get these achievements, helping them to learn how, and telling them personally via Twitter and his blog, “You CAN do this, and here’s how.” It’s so inspiring to me. Cyn could have just complained about the PvE folks “ruining BGs,” but instead he took it upon himself to extend a helping hand and express a message of kindness. Thanks for that, Cyn, your guide helped motivate me to finally get off my butt and get this done this year. If you’re dreading this like I was, check out his guide, and good luck!